Discord
by Soulreciever
Summary: Kamui's destiny has been changed, irevocably, yet to what extent shall his 'connection' with the Tree change his life and the lives of those he loves? Sequal to Conflict of interests. AU. Slash
1. Choices

Discord.

1. Change.

T: For those who read the one sentence version of the last chapter of Conflict please go back and read the PROPER version of that chapter, nothing here will make sense unless you do as such. That out of the way let us do the warnings shall we? This follows on directly from Conflict of interests, please read that fic before this one for optimum enjoyment. Also I've not got my usual 'buffer chapter' system up and running yet so expect a slower update pace. There is definite ANGST in this chapter and a Cliff-hanger. It is Clamp's not mine.

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He'd allowed the two their privacy once it'd been clear that there was, for the moment, no danger of an argument starting between the pair.

Going home hadn't of been much of an option, he needed time to form answers for the questions that he knew Sorata would ask, after all.

Thus he'd wondered, aimless, for a great while until he'd found himself before the Tree.

"You called me here, didn't you?"

:We had an agreement, Kamui. :

"I had no other choice."

: You could have stepped aside, allowed things to take their natural course…:

"Allowed you to take control of his life again, you mean?"

: Why is such a thing so distasteful to you? He hurt your precious Sumeragi, after all. :

"The Seishiro I have known over the last few months is not the same as the Seishiro who hurt Subaru. He has become a treasured friend and thus I defend him, thus I wish only for his happiness."

: You consider him a great deal more than your 'friend'."

"That is a lie."

: Is it? You and the Sumeragi are very similar people; you bear very similar scars and have the same 'kind' soul.

: Seishiro-sama has been for you precisely what he was for the Sumeragi during the 'Year', thus it is not too much to assume that you have come to love him as the Sumeragi does. :

There is logic in the rational and hearing that sensibility…hearing his 'feelings' talked of in such a clinical manner...

: I could take away this problem, Kamui, could take away all of your pain. All you need do is give yourself over to me. :

"Why the sudden civility?"

: I can not simply force a connection between myself and my new 'master. :

The information is surprising and yet hearing it he is filled, suddenly, with hope.

It was clear, simply for how badly the other had been reacting to his 'nightmares', that Seishiro has no want to claim again the position of Sakurazukamori. Thus, as the Tree could not force the other to perform his role, the threat of the shadow of Seishiro's 'darker self' had been lifted.

: You believe this news gives you an escape rout and yet that is not the case. Eventually he will recall the shear intoxication of my power, will recall the thrill that he gained from being Sakurazukamori and he will willingly take back his title. :

"Yet if I accept the title in his stead, what will happen then?"

: He will lose the memory of our bond permanently; will forget that he was ever Sakurazukamori. :

"Then f6r the sake of Seishiro-san's happiness, for the hope of a 'fresh start' I shall submit, willingly, to you."

……………………………………………………………………………………..

He had been listening to Seishiro tell him of the time he had been spending in Kamui's company, of the few memories he had of his life, when a sharp pain had lanced across his forehead.

He had known, instinctively, that the pain was as a sign that Kamui was in danger and was just about to excuse himself when the colour drained from Seishiro's face.

"Seishiro, is everything alright?"

"Something is very wrong…" this is the all the other manages before he faints, his heavy form slumping hard into Subaru's shoulder.

He little likes how close the two incidences have fallen and, once he is assured that Seishiro is comfortable, he heads for Ueno, a terrible foreboding in his stomach.

Kamui is sprawled before the Tree, the exposed skin at his neck coated in small bruises.

"What have you done?" He enquires as he sets a hand to the boy's forehead.

: He has set you free. : The sound of, what can only be the Tree's voice, in his head is a little unsettling and it takes a great deal of his control not to react to this fact.

"You make is sound as though he had a choice."

: He had every choice and yet you, at least, will not believe such a thing. :

He had a want to retort, to somehow turn this situation around and yet, before he has a chance to act, the other Seals arrive in the area.

Sorata is the only one brave enough to approach him while he is wearing such a stern face, the monk smiling genially at him before enquiring,

"What happened, Sumeragi-san?"

"I believe he attempted to weaken the Sakurazukamori by destroying the Tree, It retaliated to this attack, as you can see."

"Let's get him to the infirmary, shall we?" The monk enquires, the smile on his face this time a little more genuine than the last.

He reacts to the suggestion in the manner he knows is expected if him and, assured that his anger is, for the moment, dissipated, the remaining Seals join them at last.

It takes a great while for Noruku to be filled in on the situation, for Kamui to be 'settled in' to the infirmary and for the other Seals to deem it best to give them 'time alone'.

With each passing hour he becomes more and more concerned about Seishiro's welfare, with how the other has reacted to waking alone, eventually this worry must have become enough that he could not completely conceal it from his face for the Imonoyama takes him gently to one side and says,

"I have already phoned Sakurazuka-san and informed him of the situation."

"How…"

"Kamui-kun entrusted this matter to me as he had need of my 'knowledge' in order that he might locate Sakurazuka-san's surgery.

"Thus it is in not too much of a jump to assure that Kamui-kun has also, at last, informed you of the matter."

"Yet how did you know that I was worried for Seishiro?"

"Even when Kamui-kun has been harmed previously your worry had not been overtly clear upon your face.

"Thus for it to be there now it must have been caused by something other than the boy."

"I see."

"Sakurazuka-san asked me to inform you that he understood and that he wished to be kept informed of the 'situation.'"

"Thank you for giving me this news, Imonoyama-san and for understanding."

"You are welcome, Sumeragi-san." He had remarked before he had allowed Subaru to return to the matter in hand.

It takes Kamui a further hour after they have been left alone, to regain consciousness, the momentary dissolution on his face as the oddest of comforts.

"How are you feeling?"

"Light headed. Did I have another run in with the 'Other Kamui'?" Sensing his reluctance to answer the question, the boy pushes himself into a sitting position and enquires, "What has happened?"

"What is the last thing that you remember?"

"I'd decided to for a walk, let you and Seishiro-san have a chance to 'catch up; and to gather together a reasonable excuse for where I'd gone today…" He trails then, the confidence and the joy fading from his face.

"Kamui?"

"The Tree called for me…asked me to fulfil my end of our agreement…"

"What agreement?"

"It told me that Its destruction would harm Tokyo, that if I did not fill the void left by Seishiro-san then the final stability of this city would crumble.

"Thus for the sake of this city, for the sake of Seishiro-san's happiness and your own, I said that I would fill the void."

"Have you allowed It to claim you? Have you submitted your will to It?"

"What other choice was there? I couldn't let the Seishiro-san I had come to know vanish, nor could I allow this city to be harmed any more than it has already."

"What did you think agreeing to such a course would do, Kamui? By claiming the role of Sakurazukamori you have claimed also his position within the Dragons of Earth.

"Have unsettled the balance of this war and have become as our enemy."

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T: Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! Yep things are going to be interesting aren't they? Please R+R and hopefully I'll get the next chapter up Thursday afternoon (fingers crossed!)


	2. Escape

2. Escape.

T: Nothing too much to say about this chapter without spoiling things so I'm going to skip to the warnings. Yet another cliff hanger, I apologise for this in advance but it felt like the right place to leave this chapter, apart from that things remain on the steady, so breathe easy people! I still own only the plot (what little there is in this chapter) the rest belongs to Clamp.

Mysty: I'm glad you're enjoying this already and I apologise for the mistake as far as the name goes…one slipped my net! As to your theory about the Sakurazukamori…I can see where you are coming from and it's certainly a way of looking at the matter! Thank you for staying with me on my particular outlook especially when it's a little 'out there'! Keep reading as your support, as well as the support of all my reviewers, keeps me going!

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"By claiming the role of the Sakurazukamori you have claimed also his position among the Dragons of Earth.

"Have unsettled the balance of this war and have become as our enemy." He knows, simply for the tone in the other's voice, that he is being sincere and yet…

"I do not feel any different…do not feel cold or dispassionate as I had believed I might."

: That is because you have not yet sealed our bond and yet, once you have done as such… :

He feels suddenly ill and, wishing to desperately to be anywhere other than where he is at the moment, he informs Subaru, "Yet if I am now as you say then I can not stay here…can not risk the safety of the Shinken," before he makes a break for the doorway.

He is aware of Subaru attempting to call him back, of the apology the other gives him and of his offer to help.

Then, for a short while, the world fades into insignificance.

When he 'comes back' to himself he is laid out in a stranger's living room, his head propped up by his coat and a thin blanket tossed across his legs.

He pushes himself into a sitting position and, but a moment later, a familiar voice is enquiring,

"So you've finally decided to join me, have you?"

"Segawa-kun?" The other is sprawled out on a sofa that sits to his left, his ever present smile a little less than it had been on previous occasions. "Is everything all right?"

"Shouldn't I be asking that question? Running away doesn't seem quite you're thing, especially when it has scared Sumeragi-san so."

"He has told you everything then."

"No, that is not true. He told me that you'd left without saying why and asked me to keep an eye out for you, but that was all.

"I think he had hoped that I might get you to tell me what was wrong; that as one removed from the situation you'd feel more at ease talking to me. Don't worry, I'm not going to push you to talk, not when whatever this thing is has effected you so very deeply."

"Segawa-kun…" The kindness is unexpected, his 'relationship' with Keiichi being, as it was, still in the first, tentative, stages and yet he knows that the other is sincere in his words.

He has a want to respond to this sincerity, to share with Keiichi his burdens and his secrets hopes and yet…

…the war has not been kind to the other and thus he can never be told the whole truth, not without threatening the little comfort that they have with one another.

"It is a complicated situation, Segawa-kun and there is much I wish to keep to myself.

"I can tell you that I was forced to make a choice in order to protect those I love, a choice that has potentially set me against those I had wished to protect."

"Potentially?"

"I do not wish to be set against them…I wish only to continue on the life I had before. However…however, it does not seem as though I can simply ignore this situation."

"Clearly if you have not want to be set against your 'allies', if you wish only to protect their lives, then there is no true issue."

"Thank you, Keiichi."

"Let's get your mind off of it, shall we?" Keiichi enquires before he turns the conversation to simpler things.

Though he is unable to completely let go his worries he finds that, after listening a little while to the other talk of housework and other such idle pursuits, he feels more himself than he has done in weeks.

……………………………………………………………………………….

He dreams of the Tree, of an ancient, irrepressible, hunger and of blood.

He can feel the power that the Tree could give him, can feel the security and the distance that could be his if only he submitted.

He dreams of walking the streets at night, of selecting a target, of learning unrealised secrets and incomprehensible yearnings.

He dreams of seclusion, of being utterly alone without the comprehension of the sadness of such a situation.

He dreams of the warmth of blood about his fingers, of the satisfying sound of tearing flesh and then, suddenly, he is no longer dreaming in the recognised sense of the word.

"Good evening, Kamui." This presence, this sensation of sleeping without actually doing as such is familiar to him, thus he quickly responds with the enquiry of,

"Have you come to show you what my future is to be now, Kakyo?"

"That is a part of the reason for my 'visit', yes."

"Why else are you here?"

"I have a want to talk to you of the past, of the hurt that we share." He gestures to their left and an image blooms amid the darkness.

He knows this image well and he watches, transfixed, as it plays to its terrible conclusion.

"What are you to do with the death of Subaru's sister?"

"Hokuto was the first person to broach the emptiness of my dreamscape…to recognise me for who I was and the only person for whom I have ever tried to break free this prison."

"You loved her?"

"Unconditionally." The other takes a moment to compose himself and then he says, "When she died…when she was stolen from me…I folded in on myself, enclosed myself into the emptiness of my heart, just as you did when Kotori was taken from you.

"Unlike yourself, however, I have not been pulled from that pain…have not found another purpose for my life…instead I remain here in my darkness, weaving dreams as waiting for my wish to be fulfilled." It is clear, simply for the tone in his voice, what his Wish is and, having no want to dwell on such a thing, he enquires,

"Did she talk to you of why she went to the Sakurazukamori that day? Of the wish she gave her life for and the spell tied to it?"

"I believe that she wished for her brother to be happy despite her death, wished, desperately, for he and Seishiro to find one another again.

"As to there being a spell tied to that wish, to the notion that she claimed gift enough to perform such a spell…" Though the other does not complete this sentence, though Kamui does not know him well enough to be a true judge of such things, he knows, without doubt, that the other is lying.

Knows that he holds the final piece of the puzzle and that he is retaining his silence either through fear or a misplaced sense of loyalty.

He wishes to push the other, to have this matter laid, at last, to rest, and is prevented form this course of action by the appearance of a fresh 'dream' in the blackness before them.

"This is the future that could have been, Kamui, the future that was lost simply for the choice you made."

In the image before him he is stood, waist deep, in the Clamp school swimming pool, one arm looped, protectively, about Kotori's middle and the other pressed to Fuuma's cheek.

He can hear the thought process of his 'dream' self and, finally, he recognises this as the moment where he set his fate…

…where he chose to be a Dragon of Heaven and forced Fuuma to become a dragon of Earth.

His thoughts seem to be a little different this time, focusing not on protecting the world that Kotori and Fuuma lived in but changing it in order that the threat to their safety might be removed all together.

He watches, horrified, as his 'dream' self catches Kotori about the neck and, a familiar distance in his eyes, plunges the Shinken into her heart.

Slowly the events of the past few months progress before his eyes, everything slightly altered with Fuuma, rather than himself, as the 'Kamui of the Dragon of Heaven'.

It hurts to see Fuuma acting in the manner he had used to before the darkness had taken him, hurt to know that, if only he had taken the other path, his friend would be free still of the shadow.

"You shoulder the guilt of being the deciding factor in his situation and yet, unwittingly, you have given him 'another chance.'"

"What do you mean?"

"If you take the role you had promised and become Sakurazukamori, become a Dragon of Earth, then, as your balancing force he shall become a Dragon of however…shall be set free the prison of his darkness."

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T: Yep that's it…nothing to add here without spoiling where I'm going with this! I'll try to update Sunday but as I've not yet finished writing chapter 3 I'm not making promises.


	3. Submission

3. Submission.

T: This chapter is a doozy…consider this as much of a warning/commentary as you're going to get. As to the disclaimer...nope its not mine…am in a difficult mood today, as you can tell!

Mysty: Glad you're still with me and that it's still got you on the edge of your seat! Keep on reading and reviewing, am in desperate need of inspiration at the moment!

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He had woken once or twice during the night to the sound of Kamui muttering in his sleep, or to the other thrashing about in the bed.

Thus it is not a surprise when the other, after a semi coherent refusal of Keiichi's offer for breakfast, falls back to sleep.

It feels nice to have another again living with him and, though he has want for Kamui to resolve his 'complicated' situation, he is hopeful that the boy shall be with him for a little while to come.

He has just finished breakfast when the phone rings,

"Moshi, moshi."

"Am I speaking to Segawa Keiichi?"

"Yes, how can I help?"

"My name is Sakurazuka Seishiro…"

"Ah yes, your name came up once or twice last night. Are you recovering from your injuries?"

"My stitches will be coming out tomorrow."

"That is good news."

"Subaru told me that Kamui-kun stayed with you last night."

"That is correct."

"How does he seem?"

"Stressed, though a little less now than he was when I first found him."

"I see."

"I'm letting Shirou-kun sleep a little longer, Sakurazuka-san and so, as I'm at a loose end for the moment, perhaps you would care to meet up for coffee."

"Is Maple still in once place?"

"The little bistro a little from the Shinjuku apartments?"

"Yes. I'll meet you there in a half hour."

He leaves an explanatory note for Kamui and then makes his way to Maple.

There is a well dressed gentleman waiting outside the bistro, the manner in which he was carrying himself, as well as the missing right eye, as quick tells that this is the man he had come to meet.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Sakurazuka-san."

"It was my pleasure, Segawa-kun and you are free to call me Seishiro."

"Then I extended you the same courtesy."

They chat amiably while waiting for their drinks to arrive, the others warm and sharp witted manner one that Keiichi finds interesting and that makes Kamui's swift intoxication with the other easier to comprehend.

"You will have to excuse the potential repetition, Keiichi-kun, but I am curious as to how long you have known Kamui-kun?"

"To 'ease your mind', Seishiro-san, this is the first that we have met. To the question, however, I've known him since he transferred into Clamp academy, which was three, maybe four, months ago."

"Do you know where he was before that?"

"I believe he lived, with his mother, somewhere outside of Tokyo but I am not completely certain."

"Is that because you have not asked or because he has not told you?"

"He is a little…fragile…about certain matters and I've not wished to push him for making it worse."

"I see."

The silence that follows is an easy one and he takes the chance to enjoy the atmosphere of the place and the full flavours embedded in his coffee.

Eventually he says,

"I have decided to simply to be there for him, to give him support and faith. I am hopeful that he shall eventually trust me enough to let me in on the matter…to expose things of his own volition….and yet even should that not prove the case I shall not remove my support."

"I am certain he shall tell you eventually, Keiichi-kun."

"Thank you for the support, Seishiro-san, yet I believe we have discussed myself quite enough for a moment."

"I can not tell you much of my time with Kamui, Keiichi-kun, for I still recall only the barest of details of my past."

"Of course. It must be very difficult to be so restricted."

"It is more 'confusing' than 'difficult' at the moment, for my mind is full of partial recollections that I can make no sense of." The other pauses to take a sip of his coffee and then he enquires, "Do you know Sumeragi Subaru?"

"I have met him once or twice, but they were only brief interactions and so I would not say that I 'know' him."

"Can you tell me what he is to Kamui, or is that asking too much?" There is clear envy in the other's voice and he hesitates a moment before replying,

"Shirou-kun thinks a great deal of him, values his opinion above all others…they are close, almost as brothers and I know that Shirou-kun is happy with this…"

"But?"

"I believe he desired to be more, though why he never pushed for such a thing I could not tell you."

"I see."

"Might you also wish for more from Sumeragi-san?"

"Yes, though I do not understand why, I do not, after all, recall him but for the faintest sense of familiarity and yet I love him none the less.

"Am filled with a want to makes things 'right' between us whenever I see his face."

"For such a strength of feeling to exist then you must have loved him very much before you lost your memories.

"It is most likely for the sake of the strength of that care that you wish to make him happy always…wish to make his life 'right'."

"It is a possibility and certainly more favourable than the others I had been considering." The other's smile returns then and they fall again into more comfortable conversation.

………………………………………………………………………………….

He wakes to the feeling that he has somewhere to be, a compulsion that he knows has the Tree at its heart.

He is hopeful that he, with Keiichi's aid, he might distract himself from this compulsion, a hope that is swiftly dashed when he discovers the note waiting for him in the other's living room,

'Shirou-kun,

I have gone to meet Sakurazuka-san for coffee and a short chat.

I should only be an hour and, until I return, make yourself at home.

Keiichi.'

For a few moments after reading the note he is filled with a feeling of happiness and with apprehension also.

He was assured that Keiichi would get on well with Seishiro, that the two would find much to talk of, indeed it was this 'chemistry' that he feared, for, feeling at ease, Keiichi might well talk to the Sakurazuka of things Kamui had deliberately kept from him…

Might talk of the tragedy of Kotori's death, of the effect that event had had upon Kamui and, in doing as such, he might stir, at last, Seishiro's memories of the war.

He puts on his coat with the intent of finding the pair and of assuring that the conversation remain upon safer topics.

The moment that he steps out into the air, however, he is filled again with the need to be elsewhere.

This time he finds himself unable to fight the compulsion and, before he is aware, he is stood outside a high class men's club.

The bouncer regards him with a distrustful eye and, his face set into a hard line, he enquires,

"Might I see some identification, sir?"

: He is with me. : The Tree's voice sounds still in his head and, after a quick glance over each shoulder, he knows that he is still very much alone.

The bouncer reacts, however, as if there is another with him, the older man's stocky form folding, awkwardly, into a bow.

"Of course, you shall forgive my manner."

: You were not to know. :

The men inside the club glance at him once then return to their previous activated, their lack of interest something that surprises him until the Tree's voice remarks,

: You are of no immediate threat or enticement to them thus, though you are underage, they have disregarded you as a thing of unimportance. :

"How did you do that to the bouncer and why have you brought me here?" He enquires, his voice dipped low despite the supposed 'disinterest' of his 'audience'.

: Illusions are what I do best, Kamui and it is but the work of moments for me to weave a spell that causes people to see what is not truly there.

: As to why you are here…you have to learn the 'tricks of the trade' at some point or another. :

"I do not see how I can learn such things in a place like this."

: That is because you are allowing yourself to be pulled in by how things appear on the surface. If you look again you shall see that all these men are well dressed and that they hold themselves in the forced manner that suggests long lessons learning 'correct posture'.

: Both things suggest a controlled lifestyle, driven by the need to present oneself in as attractive light as possible and, when one considers the expensive fabric of the outfits they are wearing; it becomes clear that these are men of power. :

"I take it that they are more than simple politicians?"

"That is correct, these men are as the very heart of this city, a power that has proved as too great an allure to a few of those that you see before you… :

"Then I am here to 'pick a victim', am I?"

: I am glad to see that you have, at last, caught up with the situation and yet I fear I must take a little of the wind from your sails.

: You have no say in who or who is not to be taken as 'victim', rather it is those of the uncorrupted individuals, both in this place and elsewhere, who make that choice. : The explanation is cool and detached, something that infuriates Kamui greatly and that prompts him to respond,

"If that is the case then I have no more reason to be here, do I?"

: Wait. : His body responds to the command against his volition and it is then that he knows that, for the moment at least, the Tree has control of the situation. : I have brought you here, as I have said previously, to learn and also in order to begin the hunt. : A chill falls over his body at those words and, quite against his will, he finds himself rising from his seat.

His feet take him firstly to a large wooden table which is sat to one corner of the room and that is laden with a variety of alcoholic beverages.

Once his hands have poured a small shot of sake and his throat has swallowed back the liquid, his feet then take him towards a vacant chair.

The gentleman sat in the chair opposite that which he now occupies, regards him a long moment before enquiring,

"Who are you then?"

"Sakurazuka Kamui." The reply rolls off of his tongue before he is aware of it, before he has even had time to truly process the other's enquiry and, as the gentleman opposite smiles, he can feel his lips twisting upwards in reply.

He little likes this sensation of being a prisoner within his own body and yet, no matter how much he tries, he can not see, to break free this 'nightmare'.

The man is talking to him of idle things, his body language and the heat in his eyes as clear sign he has want for more from this encounter; that, somehow, he has been snared by Kamui and has no want to let go.

His body responds in kind to this advance and, but a half hour after he had crossed over its threshold he is exiting the club again, the 'stranger' pressed close to his side.

His body presses the other into an ally and, after taking a moment to break the grip the other had had about his waist, his body smiles a cold smile and then plunges his hand through the other's heart.

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T: This should, hopefully, be the last cliff hanger. Also, depending on where the story takes me, the next chapter might be the last! As you may have guessed by the vague nature of that last statement I've not yet finished writing the next chapter (indeed I've only just started on it!) thus I'm setting the next update for Sunday. I'm hoping I'll have it done earlier but I make no promises! R+R


	4. Fate

4. Fate.

T: The good news is that this is not the last chapter, the bad news is that the next one shall be and that, despite my best efforts, this chapter will, again, end on a cliff hanger! Angst is on the up and there are a few self created theories that might cause a few people head aches! I still own nothing other than the plot.

Mysty: Keiichi went to see Sei-chan because he felt what he had to say would benefit more from a face to face meeting, that and he was curious to see the other. (also I thought it would be fun for the pair to bond a little!) It would have been a nice idea wouldn't it? I've chosen to do something a little different, as you'll see in this chapter, hopefully it will be something you'll appreciate! Thank you for your encouragement and please consider the bonus of an extra chapter as my little gift to you. (Though you may want to wait until you read that chapter before you do as such!)

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The 'Kamui of the Dragons of Earth' had lost control, had been pushed, again, into the darker recesses of the mind of one Fuuma Monou.

Freed, for the moment, from the nightmare that his life had become, Fuuma can not but wonder where he is, where his sister is and why he feels as a coma must when they first stir back into 'reality'.

The room in which he is currently sitting is clearly his own, for it feels and looks a little as his bedroom in the temple.

However, many of the more personal items are coated now in a layer of dust and he is struck with the oddest of notions that the room has been laid out in this manner more for curiosity than sentimentality.

He is so lost in attempting to find some form of light amid the darkness', that it is only when he hears the sound of a throat clearing that he realises he is no longer alone.

His 'companion' is an older gentleman dressed in the colourful manner of a 'gentleman of the night;' and yet his well manicured hands bare the calluses and the ink stains of a 'salary man'.

"I have been asked to inform you that the Sakurazukamori has, at last, shown himself again. Kanoe also wished me to 'gently suggest' that we go and have a 'word' with him.

"She was more than aware of what your response would be to such a request and yet she asked that I make it still."

He knows this 'stranger' is expecting something of him, that, despite the oddity of such a thing, this older man is looking to him for guidance.

Puffing himself out as much a possible, he says,

"I am sure that the Sakurazukamori is an intelligent man and that he knows already that we are upset with him.

"You may tell Kanoe that I am going out for a little 'fresh air' today and allow her to interpret that information as she will." The words are little more than improvisation, however they seem to be precisely what this other had been waiting for, for he smiles and responds, "I understand," before he leaves Fuuma again on his own.

He knows that he has to get free of this place, that every moment he spends here is a moment more when his 'ignorance' might be discovered.

Grabbing what he assumes is his coat he works his way through the maze of corridor until he finds a doorway out into the open air.

Once 'free' he runs, as swiftly as he can, towards the Clamp academy, desperate for answers and desperate also to simply hold Kotori again in his arms.

……………………………………………………………………….

He awakens to the smell of brewing tea and, despite feeling as though he has spent the previous evening drinking, he chooses to go and 'investigate' the scent.

Keiichi is gently browning off the last of a large batch of pancakes, his attention divided between this task and the other 'house guest.'

"Good afternoon, Seishiro-san, Segawa-kun."

"Good afternoon, Kamui-kun, are you feeling any better?" He wishes to respond to the question with something positive; wishes to ease the worry clear in both Seishiro's eyes and voice…

However, the words are stalled in his throat and a swarm of foreign images swamp him. Each image features the simple act of one individual killing another, the clothing style and setting the only things that alter from image to image.

Only once he has seen the final three 'scenes' does he realise what it is that he is seeing and the significance of these 'visions'.

For these 'visions' feature the death of a man who could only be Seishiro's father, the death of Seishiro's mother and then, finally, the death of Seishiro himself.

In watching this final image play to its conclusion, in watching Subaru's bloodied hands clinging tightly to Seishiro's corpse, he finds, at last, the answers to the unanswered questions he had kept close since Fuuma place them into his head.

Seishiro's true wish had been to die at Subaru's hands, to erase as much of the pain he had caused the Sumeragi by allowing him to exact his vengeance.

Hokuto's final spell had been cast in the hopes that Seishiro might find his humanity and, in doing as such, realise her wish.

And, finally, Hokuto's Final Spell had been created in order that, should Seishiro attack Subaru, the attack would rebound back onto him.

"Kamui is everything alright?" This is Keiichi and Kamui forces a smile onto his face before responding,

"I'll be fine in a moment; I just need to wash my face…"

Shut into the sanctuary of Keiichi's bathroom he empties what little there had been in his stomach into the toilet and, once he has washed his face, he enquires,

"What the hell was that?" His voice dipped again into the whisper that seems to have become habitual whenever he is talking to the Tree.

: Memories. :

"Even the last?"

: That is a recollection of what Seishiro wished to occur, of the fate that he had desired the most. :

"Why then am I seeing it?"

: I thought that you would appreciate an answer to the questions in your head; also there must be a price for you wish to set Seishiro free. :

"Is it not enough that I have taken on his role, that always now my hands will be tainted by the blood of innocents?"

: That was more a 'consequence; of your wish than a 'price.' :

"There will be more, won't there?"

: That is something you shall have to decide. :

"What do you mean by that?"

: You wished him to forget the path he had been walking, a wish that was granted and that you have paid for by recalling those memories in his stead.

: It is a payment that will be enforced again should you desire him to forget other 'incidents' of his life as Sakurazukamori. :

"Sooner or later those memories would swamp my own…would become as the reality of my world."

: Is such a thing so terrible a fate? For swamped by the memories of Seishiro's dispassionate acts, you would loose your compassion.

: Would become wholly Sakurazukamori, rather than half as you are now. :

"I have no want for such a thing."

: Not now, but in time… :

"No!" The word leaves his mouth as a vehement thing and he is little surprised when, a moment later, Keiichi's voice filters through the doorway in an enquiry of,

"Is everything well?" He briefly considers lying, the thought staunched by the reality of where such a thing would leave him…of what his life would become if he kept this secret to himself.

The Tree's grim prediction ringing still in his ears he says,

"Would you come in here a moment, Segawa-kun? There is something I have a want to discuss."

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T: The next chapter really will be the last and is going to be slightly bigger that previous ones, this to make up for the fact that this chapter is slightly smaller! It will be up Tuesday at the latest and until then R+R!


	5. End

5. End.

T: Well this is it folks! This chapter is extra large both as a thank you for all your kind words and as an apology for the shortness both of the last chapter and this sequel. The angst is at an all time high and the slash reappears after a semi absence. I still own only the plot though I suspect you may judge me of a parallel with Clamp's cruelty after this chapter!

Mysty: I'm certain the story could have continued on also, however, this was as far as I was comfortable taking the thing without risking making everyone OOC and without stranding myself, later down the line, with no where left to take the plot! Thus I'm ending it on a high and hopefully you'll be able to forgive me that. I'm glad you understand my thinking in the last chapter and that someone, at least, shares my occasionally odd logic.

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He has only to cross past the campus gateway for two men to take a gentle holed of his arms and escort him into the company of the area's head of security.

It takes him an hour of intensive questioning to convince the Takumura that he is of no direct harm to anyone or anything upon Campus, at which point he is passed into the company of a stranger.

He can not meet the blind eye of this other without a sense of guilt and, after a prolonged and uncomfortable silence, he enquires,

"Was I responsible for the loss of that eye?"

"You wish me to believe that you do not know the answer to that question?"

"Whether you believe it or no is your choice and shall not affect the fact that my ignorance is a true thing…that I recall nothing of my life beyond the moment the Kotori fell into the swimming pool…"

The other has paled considerably while he was speaking those words and, curious, he enquires,

"What is the matter?"

"It is of no consequence…can you truly recall nothing past that day?"

"Occasionally I feel as though I have been in a place before or see something familiar and yet the memories at the heart of those feelings remain always just beyond my grasp."

"Can you see my Wish?"

"No."

"Then he has submitted." This last is uttered as a self musing rather than something that this other wishes openly discussed and yet despite this Fuuma enquires,

"Who has submitted?"

………………………………………………………………………………….

He is half way through explaining matter to Fuuma when his phone rings.

He recognises his grandmother's voice instantly and, after excusing himself from Fuuma's side, he enquires,

"How can I help you, Obaachan?"

"The power of the Sakurazukamori has changed hands and yet something is not right…"

"You are not making any sense."

"There is unrest in the balance of this country and also in your future…in the future of all men…"

"Is not such a thing natural when we grow ever closer to a conclusion to this war?"

"Subaru, I understand that I am not directly involved in this conflict or in the matters that lie between the Sakurazukamori and yourself, however…

"However, I believe that I could help you, could relieve a little of the burden on your shoulders if only you were to talk to me."

"Truly there is no burden to discuss, for the matter between the Sakurazukamori and I was laid to rest along with the former possessor of that title. As to the matter of the war and my part within it…

"I do not think it a 'burden' or 'trial' to be protecting the city that Neesan loved so." The surface truth serves to comfort the unease that had prompted his grandmother to make this call and, after exchanging a few empty pleasantries, she bids her farewell.

A shiver runs down his spine as he is placing the phone back into his coat pocket.

One he had come to treasure as a brother, whose kindness and patience had been as the greatest of salves, was now as all that he stood against…

…had taken away a life and used its essence for his own gain…

…had become as an enemy to his clan and thus to himself also.

It is a situation he has no real want to dwell upon and he turns his thoughts instead to making things 'right' again.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Keiichi has listened to his explanation without as much as a twitch to show how he is taking the 'revelations'.

Now, in the void of silence that has followed his final words, the other remains impassive still.

"Will you not say anything?" He enquires when his impatience and vulnerability get the better of him.

"What can I say to make this easier for you, Shriou-kun? I can not begin to imagine what life must have been like for you these last few months or the anguish you must feel at the moment."

"Are you not angry with me?"

"Why would I be angry?"

"Your mother and your father would be alive still if not for me."

"You tried to protect the barriers keeping Nago Sun and the Sunshine 60 standing, did you not?"

"Not truly, no, for when Nago Sun fell I was still deciding my course and I was more concerned for Subaru's welfare than that of the Kekkai about the Sunshine 60."

"You were not part of the war when Nago Sun fell, thus you can not be blamed for its collapse and you went to the Sunshine 60 before Sumeragi-san, thus you went, initially, to protect it."

"Why are you defending me with such conviction, Segawa-kun?"

"Because, _Kamui_, I know that you are an inherently good person, that all you truly wish from this world is a chance to live quietly with your friends at your side.

"I also, finally, understand the more vulnerable edge of your character, understand that life has give you the hardest of burdens to bear.

"In understanding those things, in being allowed to see the whole of you, I understand, at last, what part I wish to play in this matter.

"Understand that I wish, desperately, to help you realise your own desire...wish you to relieve you of your burdens and give you a better life."

"Such a thing is no longer possible or something that I deserve. I am now, after all, a murderer." He feels ill again simply for the casual mention of the act, something Keiichi sees clearly for, smiling, he says,

"That was not your act, Kamui, but rather an act performed through you by the Tree.

"If you could but sever the ties between you, lease the control that thing had upon you, you would be relieved of the guilt of that act."

"Yet if I break free of the Tree's control then the power and the memories will revert back to Seishiro-san."

"There is a chance that, even once they are restored to Seishiro-san, he would not recall them."

"There is no point in holding to that hope, for there is more tied into his memories of his time as Sakurazukamori than simply sadness and bloodshed."

"He is a different man now to the one he had become in the Tree's influence and perhaps, even with the recollection of his past, he could not claim again his old role."

"That also is a vain hope, for in recalling his past actions he shall recall also the hurt he has caused Subaru, shall recall his wish to die at Subaru's hand and, once he has recalled such a thing, he shall claim again his place as Sakurazukamori.

"He has, after all, to attempt to kill Subaru in the manner that he killed Hokuto in order to activate her final spell."

"There has to be some way for you to break free without forcing Seishiro back into the void left by your absence."

"No, there is not."

"I can not believe that." The last is Subaru and, glancing over his shoulder at the other, Kamui replies,

"It is the truth, Subaru."

"You are my closest friend, Kamui, my 'brother' in all ways but one and thus, though you tell me categorically that this is so, though I feel the shadow of the influence of the Sakura upon you, I am unable still to believe that there is no escape from this situation."

"Would you rather that I allow the Tree to threaten your happiness again? Would you rather than I step aside and allow things to play to their conclusion?

"I have seen what would happen if I did such a thing, Subaru, have seen how the bitterness and the anger that existed between Seishiro-san and yourself would destroy you both.

"Have seen how your ignorance of one another's desires would lead to his death at your hands and your instalment into the role of Sakurazukamori."

"You know that I could never kill him, that I loved him despite all that he had done to me and despite all that he had done to others more innocent than I…"

"How could you love me still? How could you look on me and see anything other than he who had taken Hokuto-chan from you? Such was my thought and so I decided to push you hard enough that you'd push back or, failing that, activate the spell that your sister had placed onto me." The words are uttered in the odd dead pan of one recalling some long corroded dream or memory and there is a fear in Seishiro's eyes now that Kamui can see even with such a distance between them.

Pushing his way past Subaru and back out into Keiichi's living room he comes to stand before the elder man.

"What is that that I am seeing, Kamui-kun?" There is a raw ache clear in the other's voice and, very aware of what the consequences of such an act shall be, he takes the other's face into his hands and, a smile on his face, he says,

"You have come to mean the world to me, Seishiro, have become my 'tragic second love'. Thus for the sake of your happiness, for the sake of the happiness of my equally tragic first love, I will take these memories from you. Shall become the Sakurazukamori completely." He is aware of Subaru and Keiichi protesting this decision, of there conviction that there is another way out of this 'difficulty; and, a smile etched still onto his face, he informs them.

"Even if there was another way it is too late now to search for it, for I have already taken the first step down this path.

"Thank you, Keiichi, for believing in me, for wishing only for my happiness…I only wish that I could have repaid your kindness a little, or trusted you before things had gotten as far as they have.

"Subaru, I love you and I want you to be happy, to forget the pain that I have caused you by making this choice and to start again. Wish you to pretend that Fuuma has always been the Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven and that I have always claimed the opposite role."

Once he is assured that the others will not again protest he fixes his attention firmly onto Seishiro and, whispering to him of a life the older man had never lived, he allows the memories to take him.

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T: Excuse me while I go and cower behind something sturdy! I know it's a nasty place to leave it and there is a very tiny possibility that I might do a little one shot of how things are a little down the line…For now though I'm taking a break from this storyline and having a little fun with something new! Keep your eyes open and R+R


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